# bean

Pronunciation: say "BEEN" /biːn/

## Noun

1. A large edible seed harvested from certain pod-bearing plants, such as the broad bean, navy bean, or garbanzo.
   - Simple: A large seed that grows in a pod and is cooked and eaten, such as a kidney bean or chickpea.
   - _A dried bean will keep for years if stored somewhere cool and dark._
   - _If you soak the dried beans overnight, they cook faster and keep their shape in the chili._
2. The bean-shaped seed of certain unrelated plants, especially the coffee plant, or the long cured seedpod of the vanilla orchid.
   - Simple: A bean-shaped seed from another kind of plant, such as coffee, or the long seedpod of the vanilla plant.
   - _Freshly ground coffee beans give the kitchen a rich aroma._
   - _Each vanilla bean is cured for months to deepen its flavor._
3. The edible seedpod of a bean plant, harvested young and tender and eaten as a vegetable.
   - Simple: The long, soft pod of a bean plant that you can cook and eat whole.
   - _She trimmed the ends off each bean before tossing them in the pan._
   - _Lightly steamed beans keep their bright color and crunch._
4. Any of several plants in the legume family Fabaceae, grown for their large edible seeds or edible pods.
   - Simple: A leafy, often climbing plant that grows pods filled with seeds people can eat.
   - _Farmers often rotate beans with corn to restore nitrogen to the soil._
   - _A climbing bean needs a sturdy trellis to support its growth._
5. A small bean-shaped object, usually plastic or styrofoam, used in bulk as packing material or as filling for beanbags and similar items.
   - Simple: A small plastic or foam piece shaped like a bean, used to fill beanbags or pack boxes.
   - _Weeks after the beanbag chair burst, she was still finding the odd foam bean behind the sofa._
   - _The kids' beanbag had gone flat, so we poured in a fresh sack of polystyrene beans until it was plump again._
6. A person, especially a baby, addressed as a term of affection. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A loving, casual word for a person, especially a baby.
   - _The whole family already adores the new little bean._
   - _"Come here, my sweet bean," he said, lifting his giggling daughter onto his shoulders._
8. A person's head or brain. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A casual, joking word for a person's head.
   - _She knocked her bean on the low doorframe and saw stars._
   - _He's no fool; there's plenty going on inside that bean of his, even if he rarely says much._
9. One of the small, rounded pads on the underside of a cat's or dog's paw. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: One of the soft, round pads on the underside of a cat's or dog's paw.
   - _When the cat rolled over for a belly rub, she showed off the soft pink beans on her hind paws._
   - _The vet trimmed the fur growing around each bean on the dog's front paws so he wouldn't slip on the floor._
10. Money, especially a very small amount, as in 'not have a bean'. Formerly a gold coin such as a guinea or sovereign. *(slang, British)*
   - Simple: An informal British word for money, as in 'I haven't got a bean'. It once meant a gold coin.
   - _After paying the rent and the electric bill, I won't have a bean left until payday._
   - _I'm broke. I haven't got a bean until payday._
11. The clitoris. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A slang word for the clitoris.
   - _She laughed and said the narrow bike seat was murder on her bean after a fifty-mile ride._
   - _She explained that the bean is far more sensitive than people expect._
12. A pill or tablet of any kind, especially benzedrine or a similar stimulant. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A slang word for a pill or tablet, especially a stimulant drug.
   - _He washed down a bean with flat soda and felt wide awake for hours._
   - _Back in the sixties, long-haul drivers traded beans at truck stops to stay awake through the night._

## Verb

7. To strike a person with a thrown or pitched object, especially on the head.
   - Simple: To hit someone with a thrown or flying object, usually on the head.
   - _The wild pitch beaned him just below the helmet._
   - _Players sometimes bean each other with snowballs during a friendly fight._

## Other meanings

- (noun) Clipping of JavaBean: in Java programming, a reusable software component whose properties are read and set through standard methods.

## Origin

From Middle English bene, from Old English bēan, going back through Proto-Germanic *baunō, perhaps to a Proto-Indo-European root *bʰabʰ- meaning "bean." It is related to Dutch boon, German Bohne, Swedish böna, and Latin faba, and is a doublet of fava.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/bean (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).